Estate Planning
Lawyer at
The Law Office of James Casey
Newport Beach, California, 92660
The Law Office of James Casey has two distinct service offerings — (1) estate planning and (2) tax controversy. The firm’s estate planning practice is led by James Casey, who is a Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust & Probate Law with 12+ years of experience advising high net worth clients on sophisticated estate planning techniques and trust administration matters. The firm’s tax controversy practice is led by James’ partner, Mindy Meigs, who leverages her 15+ years of experience with the IRS Office of Chief Counsel, to advise her taxpayer clients in connection with tax audits, collection and refund matters, appeals, fraud investigations, foreign asset reporting, partnership tax matters, bankruptcy matters, and penalty abatement.
OUR SERVICES
Tax Audit
We handle audits such as income tax, payroll/employment tax, sales/use tax, and gift tax. We are well versed with audit issues such as unreported income, personal expenses, worker classification, income penalties, payroll/employment, unreported income, sales/use exemptions, and valuation discounts.
Tax Appeals
The IRS and state taxing agencies have settlement divisions where taxpayers can resolve disputes in an informal, administrative process without having to go to court. Appeals are available for a wide range of audit and collection matters and are often resolved without incurring court expenses.
Collections Relief
The IRS and state taxing agencies generally use liens and levies to collect unpaid taxes. In cases where taxes cannot be paid, there are a number of options to resolve the debt and stop these tax collection problems, including payment plans, offers in compromise, and collection due process appeals.
Penalty Abatement
The IRS and state taxing agencies have the authority to impose penalties for a variety of reasons. In some cases, penalties can be reduced or eliminated prior to assessment. If penalties are imposed, taxpayers may remove the penalties by submitting an administrative claim to the applicable agency.
Innocent Spouse Relief
When spouses file a joint income tax return, both spouses are liable for all tax, penalties, and interest. The IRS and FTB have a program which gives an “innocent spouse” the option to claim relief from that tax liability. Relief can be asserted during an audit, or after assessment and collection.
Bankruptcy and Tax
There are a number of tax matters related to bankruptcy, including dischargeability of taxes, unfiled tax returns, tax liens, and post-discharge collection. If you are considering filing for or previously filed for bankruptcy and want your tax debt discharged, make an appointment with the experts.
Tax Litigation
Most tax lawsuits are litigated in the U.S. Tax Court. After an audit, the IRS must issue a Notice of Deficiency (NOD) before assessing additional income, estate, or gift tax. A taxpayer has 90-days from the date of the NOD to contest the additional tax by filing a petition in the U.S. Tax Court.
Payroll Tax
We represent businesses and their owners before the IRS and EDD in payroll/employment tax matters, including a collection of unpaid payroll taxes, personal liability investigations for unpaid payroll taxes, abatement/refund of penalties for failure to pay payroll taxes, and payroll tax litigation.
Estate Planning
We advise clients on all aspects of estate, gift and GST tax planning and related trust and estate administration matters, including pre-implementation financial analysis, drafting all types of trusts and ancillary documents, and tax reporting requirements triggered by such planning.
